ARTIST STATEMENT

Person with black eye makeup holding brown feathers on a patterned fabric background.

My art is a ritual, a map for transformation. Each canvas becomes a portal—a living manifestation where the soul can remember, resonate, and reconnect with its essence.

For me, painting is not just about technique but about feeling. Each work is a seal that closes lived cycles—emerging from cathartic processes of inner healing, shadow work, and a deep connection with the collective. I alchemized fragility into resilience and pain into vision, embracing and learning from the fullness of human experience. My practice embodies this journey of resilience as a woman, mother, and a migrant, navigating the layers, hierarchies, and inequality in the pursuit of freedom.

Working with oil, watercolor, crystals, organic elements, and sacred symbols, I engage in the alchemy of materials and ancestral energies. My process is both intuitive and ceremonial, guided by visions, dreams, and the wisdom of lived human experience.

I am inspired by the Andean and Amazonian cosmovision, by my personal journey interwoven with the collective, by the legacy of shamanic traditions, and by the universal path of the soul’s timeless evolution. Art, for me, is not a product—it is an altar. A field of resonance. A mirror of our deepest truths.

Trained in Fine Arts in Bolivia and mentored by Ernst Fuchs, master of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, I carry forward a lineage of visionary storytelling. My work has been exhibited internationally, establishing my voice as an artist, healer, and curator—acting as a catalyst for spiritual exploration.

Through my art, I offer symbolic codes and ceremonial spaces where transformation unfolds. Resonating with ancestral wisdom and inner exploration, each piece invites the soul to encounter its own journey. My paintings are not merely images, but portals: invitations to resilience, healing, introspection, and transcendence.

Ximena Xhiva embarked on her artistic journey in 1996, studying "Carrera de Artes" at the Universidad Mayor de San Andres, La Paz - Bolivia.

Her passion for art led her to further expand her horizons, and in 1998, she continued her artistic pursuits at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts de Monaco. From 1999 to 2001, Ximena had the incredible opportunity to work as an apprentice and assistant to the renowned Austrian painter and artist, Ernst Fuchs. Fuchs, one of the most influential figures in Fantastic Realism, guided Ximena's artistic development. She became an integral part of Fuchs' team, working at his Atelier in Monaco and collaborating on the creation of the murals in the Apocalyptic Chapel in Klagenfurt, alongside Amanda Sage.

Ernst Fuchs, known as the mentor of HR Giger and many other artists who transitioned from the Misch Technique and Fantastic Realism to the expression of Visionary Art, played a significant role in shaping Ximena's artistic style and perspective. In addition to her experiences with Ernst Fuchs, Ximena had the pleasure of sharing her artistic journey with Alex Grey and becoming involved with the Visionary Art Journal from COSM, further enriching her artistic exploration. Ximena Quinteros - Xhiva has emerged as an artist with a unique vision and an extraordinary artistic background, blending diverse influences and her own creative spirit to bring forth captivating works of art.

Person painting a mural with intricate details
A woman painting intricate artwork on a canvas, featuring trees and figures, in an art studio.
German newspaper article featuring artist Ernst Fuchs painting, published on August 22, 1999. Includes a photo of Fuchs working, accompanied by text about his work in fantastical realism and creating artwork for a church chapel. Sidebar includes a travel ad and biography of Fuchs.
German newspaper clipping titled 'Des Professors Apokalypse' from August 22, 1999, featuring a color photograph of an artist painting a large mural on a domed ceiling. The article discusses the artwork by Professor Fuchs and mentions two female assistants helping with the project.

Testimonial :

„It is difficult to place Ximena‘s art under any going categories. What impresses me most is that each one of her works of art carries a very specific message. A message which has its roots in the deeper understanding that our minds alone are limited to know and experience the magical and spiritual worlds unknown to us. In this sense Ximena - in an shamanic way- is building a bridge between the different worlds physical and etherical, creating thus a uniting bond and new connections. Each work of art touches the soul of the observer and opens worlds so far unknown. If one is ready to „enter“ Ximena’s artwork one might find helpful means for personal transformation. Sometimes the symbolism of her art seems to be obvious from other angles rather mystical or exotic.

I very much wish that Ximena’s art-gifts might touch the european culture contributing to reach the depths of life in all its expressions.“

- Felix Hürlimann (Ayurveda therapist)

Artistic Trajectory

2025

  • International Art fair ROME

2024

  • Visionary Art Week – Great Pop-Up Gallery, Zürich (12/2024)
    Collective exhibition, workshops, concerts.

2023

  • Day of the Dead Ceremony – St. Jakob Kirche, Zürich (10–11/2023)
    Collective exhibition, concert, vernissage.

  • Echoes of Resilience – Roy’s Raum, Zürich (06/2023)
    Solo exhibition, vernissage, workshops, concert, finissage.

  • Frauen Kunst Migration – Galerie Rapperswil, CH (05/2023)
    Group exhibition, vernissage, finissage.

  • Echoes of Resilience – Kraftwerk, Zürich (01–02/2023)
    Collective exhibition, vernissage, TRIBAL Nights, DJ Xhiva.

2022

  • Energy Fields – LaFraise Gallery, Zürich (12/2022 – 02/2023)
    Group exhibition, vernissage.

2021

  • Kunstweihe Opening Kulti – Wetzikon, CH (01–02/2021)
    Collective exhibition, paintings, concert, vernissage.

  • Frei Sein – Kunst im Tal – Rorbas, CH (10/2021)
    Exhibition with paintings, concert, music, vernissage.

  • Camino al Sur – Effretikon, CH (09/2021)
    Group exhibition, vernissage.

2019

  • Kunstwanderung – Babalu – Zürich, CH (08–09/2019)
    Solo exhibition, paintings, vernissage, finissage.

  • A Journey of the Soul – Zürich, CH (03–04/2019)
    Solo exhibition, conceptual Tribal Dance, ecstatic dance, DJ sets, shamanic circles, workshops, vernissage & finissage.

2010–2015

  • Pisac Exhibitions – Cusco, Peru
    Solo exhibitions in Ulrike Café & Trattorien Escondida.

2009

  • Haylli Fraktal Dragon Gallery – Cusco, Peru (03–12/2009)
    Collective exhibition.

  • Visión Ritual – Etno Café, La Paz, Bolivia
    Solo exhibition.

2008

  • Solo Exhibitions – La Paz & Copacabana, Bolivia
    Art Café “La Comedie”, Le Bistrot, Manqha Uta, Café Arábica.

2007

  • En Raíz Arte – Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore, La Paz (05–06/2007)
    Solo exhibition with paintings, poetry, photography, performances (Thunu Manqhata).

  • En Raíz Arte – Casa Municipal de la Cultura Franz Tamayo, La Paz (06–07/2007)
    Solo exhibition with paintings, poetry, photo & performances.

2006

  • Noveles 2006 – Galería Taipinquiri, La Paz.

  • Arte Café La Comedie – La Paz.

  • Manqha Pacha – Museo Tambo Quirquincha, La Paz.

  • FUNDA·PRO Contest of Emerging Painters – Galería Nota, La Paz. (Honorable Mention).

2005

  • Elemental – Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Plaza, La Paz.

2001

  • EVA – Galería Nayra, La Paz.

1999–2000

  • Collective exhibition – École Municipale d’Arts Plastiques, Principality of Monaco.

1997

  • Collective Exhibition – Chopería, La Paz.

  • Collective Exhibition – UMSA, La Paz.

  • Festival of Art and Culture – Sucre & Potosí, Bolivia.

1996

  • Urban itinerant collective exhibitions – Painting & Poetry, La Paz.

  • Guerrero Alado – Cultural resistance group, Bolivia.

  • Collective Exhibitions – Communal and provincial houses, Bolivia.

  • V Annual Salon – Faculty of Arts UMSA – Museo Tambo Quirquincha, La Paz.

  • Student Collective Exhibition – UMSA, La Paz.